The Big Save Our Green Spaces Debate

Having got twice as many signatures as were needed, the Big Save Our Parks petition will be discussed at the full council meeting next Tuesday evening. The petitioners say that
"Neighbourhood Partnerships should decide on any green space disposals in their area – making sure local people are involved in the decision making, unlike the decisions taken so far by Cabinet."

No doubt the lead petitioners will ask their council colleagues to vote for a supporting resolution (which can't actually make any decision, only recommend that the ruling Cabinet go along with it).

And, judging by what happened at our Neighbourhood Partnership last night, the LibDems will want that resolution emasculated or simply defeated by weight of numbers.

Last night, (just the same as in December - before the Cabinet ignored public opinion and steamrollered through its decision to sell off the green spaces, including eight here in Stockwood) I asked our NP to agree to submit a Public Forum Statement to the full council meeting. In December, our Statement had asked the Cabinet to defer its decision. This one simply urges councillors to support the petitioners' contention that Neighbourhood Partnerships must consent to selling green spaces.

And, just as at the last NP meeting, just three people fought tooth and nail to stop the NP agreeing the Statement. They were, of course, Hengrove's two LibDem councillors plus their Stockwood candidate for the May election.

You'd think that Neighbourhood Partnerships might be pleased to have the say-so on what green spaces on their patch should be sold, but not these LibDems. We had a whole series of attempts to avoid a vote on it, including a desperate claim that we couldn't ask the council to do what it cannot do. (Answer A. We weren't doing that. Answer B. What's to stop us expressing a view, anyway?)

Anyway, we agreed to put the Statement in, the three LibDems dissenting. Just like we did in December. It's getting to be a habit.

It's still a mystery why our local LibDems should be fighting so hard against us getting these rights. Maybe they could provide an explanation here?

Petition Power

Locally, the 'Big Save our Parks Petition' raised some 7,000 signatures, twice the target, so the full council is obliged to debate it.

It calls for the decisions about selling Open Spaces to be devolved to the Neighbourhood Partnerships instead of the Cabinet, and it'll be debated on March 22nd.

The meeting starts at 6 with the 'Public Forum', i.e. statements and questions from the public (I've got a couple of questions tabled myself, but they're about transport). Statements can be submitted up to noon the day before (to democratic.services@bristol.gov.uk ), and I hope there'll be plenty.
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Another highly successful petition was the '38 degrees' bid to stop government proposals to sell off the nations forests. It attracted over half-a-million online signatures - and the government backed down. For now, at least!

Now, 38 degrees are back with another one. This one's about the NHS 'reforms' that even the LibDems are rebelling against. The wording is:

Our NHS is precious - we won't forgive you if you ruin it.
Don’t break up our health service and hand it to private healthcare companies

• Listen to the the real experts - doctors, nurses and patients - when they give warnings about these plans
• Don't rush through massive changes without testing them properly first
• Protect patient care - don't cut beds, wards, doctors or nurses

It's reached 80,000 signatures in its first week. You can sign it at
www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/Protect_our_NHS_Petition#petition

Another linked petition "Blood Money" aims to stop the sale of the National Blood Service (yes, honest!) to a private, profit-driven contractor. It's running at around 34,000 signatures as I write. You can add more here

Come to think of it, it could be sold off to one of the big US 'Defense' contractors like the firm that's doing the UK Census. Yes, Lockheed Martin, manufacturers of cluster bombs and Trident missiles.

Blood Money indeed.

The Big Save Our Parks Petition - printable version

A printable version of the e-Petition raised by the three opposition parties on the City Council is now available for download from the FoSOS website or from the Green Party website. (I know, I put them there!). Please print copies off and gather signatures from friends and neighbours.

The three councillors behind this petition (Tess Green for the Greens, Mark Weston for the Tories, and Mark Bradshaw for Labour) need at least 3,500 valid signatures to get the issue back on the council table - which could help influence policy in a crucial pre-election period.

Completed forms can be returned to any of the three councillors at the Council House; here in Stockwood they can be returned to
Pete Goodwin, 11 Lanesborough Rise
Margaret Short, 10 Townsend Close
David Reeve, 11 Maple Close

But remember, they need to be returned by the end of February

The Big Save Our Parks Petition

.....does what it says on the web page - http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/community/petition/1403

If it reaches 3,500 valid signatures, anyway.

Defending the Green Belt

They're lining up to develop Bristol's Green Belt. And plenty of groups and people in Bristol are lining up to prevent it.

One such initiative is a petition on the No. 10 web site, calling for the biggest threat (the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West) to be withdrawn and to recommit to the protection of the green belt.

It's also worth a look at the 'Save Our Green Spaces' website which has plenty about the various campaigns - and at CPRE Avonside's map showing the extent of the threat around Bristol.

Influencing Transport in Bristol - 1

The petition for a major transport hub at Temple Meads - instead of building more flats there and remaining stuck with the fragmented public transport system we suffer now - is now up on the council website at http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/view/templemeadshub

Please sign it. Even if you never go near a bus or train, it's in your interests that public transport in this city should work better and tempt some car drivers to actually use it!